Tiger's eye
Tiger’s Eye – natural stone
Tiger’s Eye is one of the varieties of quartz, composed of silicon, iron oxide, and belongs to the group of amphiboles. Its name refers to the shimmering effects on the stone’s surface, reminiscent of a tiger’s eyes. Tiger’s Eye mineral occurs in Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Mexico, India, and Burma. Typically, this mineral can be found alongside hawk’s eye and bull’s eye. Interestingly, tiger’s eye initially starts as crocidolite, and only later, under the influence of various factors, transforms into quartz. The hardness of tiger’s eye on the Mohs scale is 6.5 – 7, while the density is 2.65 g/cm³. Characteristic features of tiger’s eye include a lack of cleavage, a silky or glassy luster, and a shell-like fracture.
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Tiger’s Eye – color, varieties
Tiger’s eye stone most commonly occurs in shades of yellow, gold, and brown, but sometimes you can also find stones in blue or green. Tiger’s eye is opaque and does not transmit light. A characteristic feature of tiger’s eye is the cat’s eye effect, which can be observed on the stone’s surface when it is rotated – then we see a beautiful, shimmering band. This effect is created by the presence of fibrous inclusions of oxidized crocidolite, crossite, and tremolite arranged in one direction. The color of tiger’s eye depends on the inclusions of other minerals and the degree of oxidation of amphibole inclusions. In our offer, you will also find a unique variety of this mineral – tiger’s eye with hematite.
Tiger’s Eye – uses
Already in ancient Egypt, tiger’s eye was valued for making amulets and other decorative objects such as vases, sculptures, or ashtrays. Interestingly, tiger’s eye stones were even used to decorate the tombs of pharaohs and other interior and building decorations. Due to its unique visual effects, it is valued and sought after both as a jewelry stone and a collector’s item. The price of tiger’s eye depends primarily on the appearance of the stone and the clarity of the cat’s eye effect. However, tiger’s eye is most commonly used to create unique jewelry – earrings, necklaces, or bracelets. Tiger’s eye gemstones are often given a cabochon cut to best showcase and emphasize the cat’s eye effect. Tiger’s eye jewelry looks beautiful when combined with other decorative stones such as agate, sapphire, citrine, or hawk’s eye. In our jewelry stone store, you will find tiger’s eye cabochons in various sizes.